Canon 600mm F4L USM (Non IS)

SMT

SMT

Messages
767
Name
Simon
Edit My Images
No
Just out of interest, what is the going rate for a Canon 600mm F4L USM (Non IS) and what are they like without IS?

I've seen one for sale here in France and the price seems reasonable, but I have no intention of buying it unless it is ridiculously cheap!

Thanks - Simon.
 
Simon i have the IS version and even then it's a b****r to get tack sharp images. I know Mifsud have an IS version currently at around £5500 which is ok however Kerso did mine brand new for £5700. To sum up i wouldn't want a non is 600 however there may be someone on here who disagrees
 
pragmatist said:
Simon i have the IS version and even then it's a b****r to get tack sharp images. I know Mifsud have an IS version currently at around £5500 which is ok however Kerso did mine brand new for £5700. To sum up i wouldn't want a non is 600 however there may be someone on here who disagrees
Click to expand...

Are you saying you handhold your 600?
 
I hired a Non-IS 2 years ago for WSB at Brands Hatch and last year i hired an IS. I actually had better results with the Non-IS but as i only had each for the weekend im not so sure it wasnt me having a rough weekend with the IS. I used both with TC's and was more than happy with both, i just got more keepers from the Non-IS.

If you look at my flickr here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blzeebubalub/sets/72157606582321593/

There are some with the 600 and TC's aswell.

B->
 
pragmatist said:
Whoa there tiger, Did i say i always use a tripod. I use a beanbag for a lot of my work and i don't care what anyone else thinks, In MY opinion IS is a godsend :p
Click to expand...

Beanbag - that's the missing step in your story I was trying to piece together :lol:
 
VivaVida said:
your only going to use a 600mm for wildlife photography... if the shutter speed is high enough for the subject to be still, im sure no IS will be fine :)
Click to expand...

The problem is in this country and i'm sure France falls into this category light levels are not always that good resulting in seriously high iso or slow shutter speeds, IS is your friend in these situations
 
I have the non VR Nikon 600mm and although VR would be nice, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy one without again. People rely too much on VR/IS I think and it makes you sloppy because you start to forget your long lens technique - which is the most important thing.

Don't get me wrong, IS/VR is going to be helpful but you absolutely shouldn't be relying on it to get sharp images. Good technique with a good tripod or beanbag will let you get sharp shots regardless.

My Peregrine Falcon in the rain was taken at 1/100 with a 600mm + 1.4x using a beanbag...no VR in sight.

If you find a good deal on a regular 600, go for it I say (for me, the difference between VR 600mm and the one I went for was £3k! VR isn't worth that much).
 
BLZeebub & Richard, thanks...

Tom, don't suppose you have a link to the one that recently sold on Ebay?

The one for sale here in France could probably be had for about £1,000 less than that and it looks in pretty good if not perfect condition.

Cheers - Simon.
 
I cannot seem to create a link but it was item no 380224835732
regards tom
 
RRtom said:
I cannot seem to create a link but it was item no 380224835732
regards tom
Click to expand...

Here you go

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....35732&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_fvi=1&_rdc=1


SMT said:
BLZeebub & Richard, thanks...

The one for sale here in France could probably be had for about £1,000 less than that and it looks in pretty good if not perfect condition.

Cheers - Simon.
Click to expand...

If the one your looking at in France 'looks' in better condition than this and is optically perfect, sounds like a good price then :thumbs:

Looks a monster of a lens
 
Cheers, guys. Well it certainly looks in much better cosmetic condition than the Ebay lens. I've e-mailed him about the optics even though he does say in the ad that it functions perfectly. This is it...

lens1.jpg


I don't really need it and can't really afford it, but if it's o.k. and I can get it around £2k then I guess I can always have a play with it and move it on at a later date.
 
These shots were taken handheld no bean bag canon 7d and 600mm f4 i.s if you look in my gallery you will see some more of these the wind was blowing the reeds and the bearded tits were moving constantly no chance on the tripod and gimbal head you could not reposition quick enough. would i go back to a non i.s no chance





Regards
Richard
 
That 600mm non-IS is a bargain without a doubt, but as Richard says - IS gives you an edge, particularly for wildlife, that I wouldn't want to be without.
 
One thing to be aware of is canon have classed the 600 NON IS as 'end of life' which means its not serviceable by them and they most likely have no spare parts, you may find some independent repair shops with spares.

Its just one thing to factor in and be aware of when purchasing this model.
 
CT said:
That 600mm non-IS is a bargain without a doubt, but as Richard says - IS gives you an edge, particularly for wildlife, that I wouldn't want to be without.
Click to expand...
Doesn't give you an edge that's worth £3-4k though, which is what the difference could potentially be between second hand older lens and new model :)

If funds are not an issue, newer IS is fair enough but if OP is only looking at spending £2k, well I'd rather have a 600mm f4 without it than no lens at all...
 
Mud said:
So unless you're eating a lot of weetabix, what additional good is the IS version doing you on a tripod?
Click to expand...

Loads!

When many people think of a tripod they think of the head locked off and using a remote release to release the shutter. In that situation there's no point is using IS as there's no movement ot be detected.

However, wildlife photographers don't use tripods like when they're using long lenses. They invariably use a gimbal head and have one hand on the camera and one on the lens at all times. There's quite sufficient movement being detected through the users hands for the IS system to function and it's a big aid to sharp images.
 
Richard Peters said:
Doesn't give you an edge that's worth £3-4k though, which is what the difference could potentially be between second hand older lens and new model :)

.
Click to expand...

Lots of people would disagree with you judging by the number of long IS lenses just on this forum. ;)

As I said earlier - that non IS lens is a bargain at £2K, but you'd do well to consider that it is an 'end of life' lens and no longer supported by Canon for spares. If anything serious went wrong with it then it could be the end of the road for that lens and far from the bargain you hoped for.
 
where are all these 2nd hand 500's and 600's lately? i can't find hardly any worth buying =(
 
buckas said:
where are all these 2nd hand 500's and 600's lately? i can't find hardly any worth buying =(
Click to expand...

You may have better luck looking for hens teeth :D

EOS classifieds sometimes have great glass on offer. Deal with caution, always best to buy local and take at look at the glass when making an expensive purchase. :thumbs:
 
The spares situation is definitely worth looking into - give Canon Elstree a call or preferably Fixation in London to get an idea what spares are still around. I seem to remember that early 500's used a USM motor that was long gone as an example.

Id still be happy with a non-is though if it was good money and working :D

B->
 
CT said:
Lots of people would disagree with you judging by the number of long IS lenses just on this forum. ;)
Click to expand...
lol true. But I bet if you did a poll and asked those that were wanting to buy a 600mm now what they'd go for between a mint none IS at sub £3k and a IS version at £6k, it'd get some interesting results.

Depends what is available to you at the time you want to buy IMO and at what price. I don't think 600mm lenses come up very often in the second hand market so new is usually the only option.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top